Not just MP, you elected a PM: Narendra Modi in Varanasi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned to his parliamentary constituency of Varanasi for the first time since the general elections on Tuesday and thanked local residents for choosing him a third consecutive time as he unveiled his plans to bring Indian farm products to every dining table in the world and detailed a list of projects and welfare schemes.

Modi said his government was committed to making the lives of farmers easier and added that he felt proud to release the 17th instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) worth ₹20,000 crore.

“I am indebted to the people of Varanasi… they not only chose me as MP for a third time but also chose a Prime Minister,” he said, adding that their trust was his “biggest asset” that inspired him to work harder.

“It is very rare in democratic countries for governments to be elected for a third consecutive term but the people of India did this. This happened in India 60 years ago. Since then, no government scored a hat-trick,” the PM said.“Now, it seems as if Mother Ganga has also adopted me, I now belong to this place.”

Modi defeated Congress’s Ajay Rai by 152,000 votes in the recently concluded polls, roughly a third of his 2019 margin of 479,000, on way to his third consecutive term, a feat achieved only by India’s first PM, Jawaharlal Nehru. The Bharatiya Janata Party won 240 seats out of 543, stopping short of the halfway mark of 272 and its pre-poll target of 370.

On Tuesday, Modi attended a PM Kisan Samman event where he released ₹20,000 crore of the scheme for more than 92.6 million farmers. Under PM-Kisan, farmers are paid ₹6,000 yearly.

“You have given this opportunity to your sevak Modi. In a country like India, where the aspirations of youth are so high, where there are so many dreams of people, if people vote for any government to power after 10 years of governance, then it is a great victory, a big achievement and a big trust,” Modi said.

“Your trust is my biggest asset and it gives me inspiration to work hard to serve you, to take the country to great heights. I will work hard, day and night, to fulfil your dreams and your goals,” the PM added.

Modi distributed Krishi Sakhi certificates to five women from self-help groups (SHGs) — Anita Mod from Saraguja (Chhattisgarh), Mamata Singh Bargahi from Shahdol (Madhya Pradesh), Lahusa Likai from Meghalaya, Srilata Rajiv Hegde from Karnataka and Meer Pal from Varanasi.

“The new role of sisters as Krishi Sakhi will ensure them both respect and new sources of income,” Modi said.

Uttar Pradesh governor Anandiben Patel, Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath were among those present at the programme.

“We have to think about the global market. We have to become self-reliant in pulses and oilseeds and a leader in agricultural exports. Look, Langda mango of Banaras, Jaunpur’s radish, Ghazipur’s lady finger, and many such products are reaching the foreign market today,” he said.

“Now, we have to take the country to new heights in the global market of packaged food. My dream is that there should be some food products from India on every dining table in the world,” he said.

Modi extolled the vastness and importance of elections in India.

“The 18th Lok Sabha election shows the vastness, expanse and deep roots of India’s democracy to the world. In this election, more than 64 crore people exercised their franchise. An election in such a large expanse is not held anywhere in the world where people in such large numbers participate in voting,” he said.

“I went to Italy recently to participate in the G7 Summit. If we add all the voters of the G7 countries, still the number of voters in India will be 1.5 times more. If we add up all nations of Europe, all voters of the European Union, still the number of voters in India is 1.5 times more,” Modi added.

He specially mentioned women.

“In this election, more than 31 crore women took part. This is more than the number of women voters in the world. This number is the same as the total population in America. This is the beauty, strength of India’s democracy which attracts the entire world,” he said.

He also spoke about his government’s achievements.

“Decisions like building more than three crore houses for poor families or extending the PM Kisan Samman scheme across the country will help many. Today’s programme will strengthen the path to ‘Viksit Bharat’,” Modi said, adding that farmers, young people, women and the poor were the four pillars of developed India.